Mercedes AMG Performance Tour

Originally published: December 1, 2011

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West Palm Beach, Fla. • Little could anyone have predicted back in 1967 that two former Mercedes-Benz engineers — Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher — would today be responsible for a global network delivering some of the most desirable, performance-bred vehicles on the planet. But those two men, who, back then, started out designing and testing racing engines from a small shop in Burgstall, Germany, are today the genius for what is widely known as AMG, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz.

Indeed, the philosophy then, as it remains in practice today, is “one man, one engine.” Each AMG engine is, according to the company, individually assembled from start to finish by the same master mechanic, who does everything from installing the crankshaft to topping up the oil after final assembly. The mechanic even installs an engraved stamp on the engine bearing his signature.

While there’s no personal email or Facebook page in the event something isn’t right, there is at least an assurance of quality not typically found on a regular production line. Today, some 22,000 AMG cars per year leave the factory near Stuttgart, led by the most fascinating of them all, the Mercedes-Benz SLS Coupe and Roadster — the first complete Mercedes cars designed nose to tail by AMG.

The SLS is not likely to be the last, either. By 2015, some 33 Mercedes models will wear the AMG emblem, up from 16 today, each offering not just a bigger turbocharged motor, but an all-round higher level of performance — suspension, braking, start-stop technology and the signature barking-dog exhaust.

I’m not just talking about sedans and coupes either, but wagons, roadsters and SUVs, because not everyone has need for a fast car in their lives, but everyone can appreciate performance excellence, not to mention an ample amount of delicious-looking carbon fibre, Alcantara and sexy switch gear. And, if a Mercedes is going to occupy the driveway, why not get the most from it, as well as set it apart from every other garden-variety Mercedes?

To showcase the serious talents AMG models possess, Mercedes-Benz Canada has organized its fourth AMG Performance Tour here in West Palm Beach, with the aim of holding many more such tours over the coming years as the AMG brand grows and the number of Mercedes owners expands. (The company had its best year ever in 2010, selling 31,651 vehicles, and will be close to that — or even over — for 2011.)

The tours are a loyalty incentive and marketing tool, and attendance is by dealer invitation only. Hotel, meals and ground transportation are included, although not air fare. Some 100 hand-picked customers or potential customers were already set to scorch some very expensive tires under the Florida sun this month as they learn what it means to fully explore an AMG car. The cars are driven exclusively on a race track, in this case Palm Beach International Raceway, where, on its long straight, it was not difficult to reach speeds exceeding 240 kilometres an hour. The return from attending is more than a thorough understanding of what an AMG car can do, but also a pretty good idea of what a driver with even a little bit of skill can do with proper instruction in a place where you won’t lose a driver’s licence.

Led by Danny Kok, chief driving instructor for Canada’s Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy, plus a team of talented drivers, the performance tour uses about a dozen AMG cars. Instruction is, at times, one on one and cars are switched up through the course that covers everything from basics such as seating position, vision, braking and cornering, to trail braking and picking the fastest line through a corner as well as all-round car control at speed.

What is most surprising about the various AMG cars, though, is how each one shares a common trait, despite being built for such disparate audiences: For example, the $65,000 C 63 AMG sedan that is blessed with 481 horsepower and can hit 100 km/h in 4.5 seconds, shared characteristics also felt in the $100,000, 550-hp E 63, as well as the $206,900 SLS AMG Coupe, which sounds like a hundred angry bulls from hell when its 571-hp 6.2-litre V8 unwinds. Sure, each car had to be driven differently for its weight, steering and road-holding ability, but there is no denying each AMG pays big dividends for anyone seeking a thoroughly communicative and satisfying sports drive. Of course, an AMG S-Class has nowhere near the agility of the C 63 AMG, yet the two cars responded equally — and with absolute delight — to small steering adjustments, forceful braking and full-on acceleration (although two of the C 63s went into a preservation mode, limiting acceleration, after things got too hot.)

Still, not one of the AMG cars felt as though it didn’t belong on the track, even though most are extensions of their family sedan counterparts. Most AMG cars will never get such a fortunate opportunity to stretch their legs in this way, but anyone behind the wheel of an AMG Mercedes can take comfort in knowing there’s a performance giant underneath. And they can thank the two engineers who made it happen.